New On DVD: 'Kung Fu Panda,' 'Hellboy II'

'Kung Fu Panda" (PG): If you're looking for a unique family comedy, then you'll kick out of "Kung Fu Panda," a hilarious animated romp that combines martial arts and a loveable loser who dares to defy all odds.

A slick, old-style animated prologue opens the films, which follows Po (Jack Black), a rotund Chinese panda bear who has long-dreamt about becoming meeting his heroes The Furious Five. But sadly, it appears Po is stuck life as a noodle cook and eventually beneficiary of the family's secret recipe.

But destiny finds Po in an awkward position, because martial arts master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) through an odd series of events selects him to become the new Dragon Warrior -- an esteemed fighter of the highest order who will have to fight the villainous Tai Lung (Ian McShane) to save the valley.

The problem is, Po, who knows everything there is to know about the Furious Five, physically and mentally isn't equipped to handle his new responsibilities as the Dragon Master. And to make matters worse, he's getting no support from his trainer, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) or any members of the Furious Five.

Produced by DreamWorks, the animation is spectacular as expected in "Kung Fu Panda." But the artistry would be rendered meaningless if not for the smart script -- which combines humor and poignancy -- and impeccable voice performances of the cast. Each role seems tailor-made for its stars, from the lovable humor and innocence of Po realized through Black, and the wise sage of a trainer mastered by Hoffman.

Angelina Jolie brings a sleek demeanor to Furious Five member Tigress and "Deadwood's" Ian McShane rumbles with conviction in his turn as the evil Tai-Lung. Of course, the movie wouldn't be complete without Jackie Chan, who gives voice to Furious Five member Monkey.

The great part about "Kung Fu Panda" is, while it's a comedy at heart, it's also an esteem-builder for young kids. The movie suggests that everybody, particularly the unlikely heroes in life, need to believe in themselves. In the end, "Kung Fu Panda" is a hero with heart.

DVD Features: Accompanying "Kung Fu Panda" is a separate release, "Secrets of the Furious Five." The 22-minute short film is partially computer-animated, and features the striking, hand-drawn-type animation to tell the backstory of each of the characters.

"Kung Fu Panda's" bonus features include several bonus featurettes, including some out of the ordinary "behind-the-scenes" realm. A fascinating Food Network segment shows how long noodles are made at Mr. Ping's Noodle House, while Black hosts a short public service-type of announcement about preserving pandas. "The Secrets of the Furious Five" disc includes kids activities and games. (Paramount-Dreamworks Home Entertainment)

'Hellboy II: The Golden Army' (PG-13): Ron Perlman (TV's "Beauty and the Beast" and currently "Sons of Anarchy") comfortably slips back into the red skin of "Hellboy" for a highly-entertaining and visually stunning sequel to movie hit based on Mike Mignola's comic book creation.

In "The Golden Army," Red, aka Hellboy -- a demon who was raised by humans to do good deeds as part of a covert government paranormal division -- must team with his colleagues to stop an underworld prince from awakening a golden army that will destroy the earth.

Selma Blair reprises her role as Hellboy's moody, fire-starting love interest Liz Sherman, as does Doug Jones, who brings wit and intelligence to Red's amphibian–like crime-fighting partner, Abe Sapien.

Guillermo del Toro, who directed the first "Hellboy," brings more of his distinct fantasy vision to the characters this time around, introducing us to a world of creatures reminiscent of the fantastical characters in his hit foreign film, "Pan's Labyrinth." The creatures he creates are awe-inspiring, particularly in a scene in the underworld (called the Troll Market) that inspires the same sort of wonder as the cantina scene in "Star Wars."

While "Hellboy II" features the same sort of action and thrills as its predecessor, it also ups the ante on its humor -- including a terrific scene where Red and Abe share their affinity for Barry Manilow.

While Golden Army in question is a spectacle to behold in the movie's final climactic final battle, perhaps even more jaw-dropping is the film's prologue, masterfully told through the use of wooden marionette puppets. But in reference to one of the film's early jokes, these puppets put Howdy Doody to shame.

DVD features: The three-disc special edition version of "Hellboy II" includes a digital copy of the film for download, as well as a two-hour look at the making of the film. Also included is feature film commentary with del Toro, as well as deleted scenes with optional commentary with del Toro. A deluxe boxed-set version of the movie includes a mini-bust of a Golden Army member. (Universal Studios Home Entertainment).

'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' (PG): The theatrical kick-off to the new series on The Cartoon Network, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" is a great film for its intended audience -- which is clearly kids. But for purists who love the original films, get ready to experience a disturbance in The Force.

In fact, given some of "The Clone Wars'" 'tween sensibilities and goofy characters, diehards may feel like they're living the nightmare of Jar Jar Binks.

Fully computer-animated "The Clone Wars" focuses on the adventures of Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor), Master Yoda (Tom Kane), Sen. Padme Amidala (Catherine Taber) and others between the live action stories of "Episode II" and "Episode III."

The purpose of the film and series is to essentially flesh out the Clone Wars backstory that Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) briefly described to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in the first "Star Wars" film, "Episode IV."

Backpedalling to a time before he took his fateful trip to the Dark Side to become Darth Vader, "The Clone Wars" finds Anakin as an ambitious young Jedi who, along with Obi-Wan, struggles to keep peace in the Republic as the Sith-driven Separatist movement grows. Part of that peace includes a dicey mission for Jabba the Hutt (Kevin Michael Richardson).

The most significant addition to the "Star Wars" saga is Anakin's padawan learner Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), a talented Jedi-in-training who has a penchant for making waves. Young and overly ambitious, Ahsoka often questions Anakin's judgment and rarely follows orders. The problem is, she can hardly be disciplined for her actions because often times, she's right.

And hence, this is where the separation between the kid audience and "Star Wars" diehards begins. In a clear attempt to make "The Clone Wars" appeal to young girls, Ahsoka is given a Disney Channel-type persona (Eckstein, by the way, is a veteran of such Disney shows as "That's So Raven," "Phil of the Future" and "The Replacements"), and her dialogue is peppered with sass.

Her attitude will be funny and engaging, sure enough, for the movie's young audience, but hearing her call Anakin Skywalker "sky guy" and refer to battle droids as "stick tinnies" will no doubt make the fans faithful to the live-action films groan. (Sadly, Ahsoka isn't the only offender -- wait until you hear Jabba say the nickname of his baby.) If that isn't enough to make the diehard fans' heads spin, wait until they get a load of Jabba's uncle, Ziro, who looks -- and sounds -- like Truman Capote.

It's pretty evident from the beginning that "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" is made for a new generation, as the blast of opening music is a variation on John Williams' classic theme, and the scrolling narrative is replaced with a series of clips and radio-serial stylized narration. All told, "The Clone Wars" is by no means epic like the previous films, it's just different. Very, very different.

DVD features: Filmmaker commentary, production featurettes, nine "making of" Webisodes and more. (Warner Home Video)